Art Apprentice Online

Become an Artist

Monday, March 23, 2015

Face Painting

One of the great things about being creative, being an artist is the myriad mediums in which we can express ourselves.

Face painting is one of the most rewarding mediums. There is instant feedback and gratification when that little face breaks out into a huge smile when you show the mirror!

This is fun, this is fairly easy with practice and proper supplies, this is reaching out to your family, friends and community.

This can also be a good source of income and artistic expression.

My art business partner and friend Donna Harcourt and I have been face painting for nearly 10 years together. We started out using acrylics, Folk Art Enamels to be exact. We quickly learned that there is a better,more sanitary, more skin safe, more responsive product...professional face paint.
We use several brands, Diamond FX, Tag, Artycakes, Global, Mehron and Wolfe brand paints.
These paints are specifically formulated to be hypo-allergenic and safe for young skin. They hold up under hot and humid conditions and perform consistently session after session. Our personal favorite brand is Diamond FX.
There are many online sites to purchase these paints, brushes, sponges, stencils, glitters and tools.
One is Jestpaint.com, another is sillyfarm.com
There are lots and lots of You Tube videos. One of my favorite face paint YouTube artists is Lisa Joy Young.

There are also several FaceBook groups devoted to face painting. There is New Face Painters Help Group   , Midwest Face Painters Group and Butterfly and Fairy Face Painting Forum Group to name a few.

There are many important safety rules to follow. Use clean brushes, change your water often, when using hair clips, use bobby pins or aluminum clips and allow the child/person to take it with them, never reuse. Check for any insect appearances. Always cleanse the face with a new baby wipe for each customer. Use a separate paper towel for each and clean your hands and brushes after each little face. Keep your kit clean, your brushes clean and your tools clean.

It is also helpful to have an effective line management method and picture boards so the children can choose their design before they come to your chair. This speeds things up and keeps the decision making to a manageable level.

Donna and I like to use tall director chairs and booster seats to save on back strain. We stand and the child sits on a level that allows us to paint them without leaning over.
Consider adding this skill to your artistic portfolio!

Here are a few practice photos of our own grandchildren and a few of our previous paintings from other show and fairs. It does not matter how old or young you are. The lady with the dragon was gleeful as she told us that having her face painted was something she had wanted to do all her life! She wore it proudly all day long at the fair!

Please visit our Facebook page Artistic Colors! See us this summer at the Indiana State Fair!